What is National Safe Work Month 2015?

National Safe Work Month 2015 is upon us, and for the duration of October, organisations across the country are being encouraged to be more mindful of their health and safety practices. The initiative aims to spread awareness about the importance of employee wellbeing, with the aim of reducing the death, injury and disease that afflicts hundreds of thousands of Australians every single year.

Safe Work October. Remember – spot the hazard, assess the risk, make the changes. #safeworkmonth

In fact, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 4.5 of the 12 million workers in Australia suffered an injury or illness on the job between June 2013 and June 2014. It's hoped that National Safe Work Month, perhaps when used in conjunction with employee induction tools, will go some way towards reducing the statistics.

What is this year's theme?

To help drive the point home, every year the initiative focusses on a different element of health and safety. The 2015 iteration is centred on exploring a worker's reason to operate responsibly in the workplace. The theme is:

Be safe. Be Healthy. Because…

Michelle Baxter, Safe Work Australia's Chief Executive Officer and 2015 Safety Month Ambassador explained the mantra has been intentionally left incomplete to invite workers to finish the sentence in a way that is meaningful to them on a personal level.

I want workers to be safe so they can return home to their loved ones.

"We have deliberately left the theme open so you can add your personal reasons for being safe and healthy at work. Think about what is important to you," said Ms Baxter.

"For me, the major cost of workplace injury is the personal impact on the worker and their family and friends. I want workers to be safe and healthy at work so they can return home to their loved ones each day."

How does this affect you?

There are a number of things you can do to get involved with the initiative. There's a participation reward for organisations that support National Safe Work Month, as well as an app that can keep up to date with latest developments in the world of workplace safety. Throughout the month, you'll also have the opportunity to check out some online seminars that discuss some ideas on how you improve practices within your organisation.